co plateau trip

I'm finally getting around to updating my shamefully overdue blog (for my own posterity's sake :). Starting with our research/pleasure trip (way back in April) around and across and through the Colorado Plateau.

Link cuddles a birthday monkey from Aunt Sherrie. Jed scopes out U-95 along Comb Ridge near Blanding. They blasted out a heck of a lot of rock for that road. . . We met up for fun times with my fam in Moab. Hanging with Aaron, Kennedy, and Madelyn Then we hooked up with Jed's fam in St. George. Link and Bek at Zion I love the name of this at Zion: "The Great White Throne" Ellie, Oma, and Ikey near the Weeping Rock at Zion Link with Unca Spence at the Snow Canyon Sand Dunes Rogers rogues at some favorite stomping grounds: Snow Canyon (Petrified Sand Dunes)Gorgeous orchards in Capital Reef Quaint Hanksville Tabernacle Spence and Juliet (and bun in oven) at Zion Hiking near Blanding, Utah Isaac and Lincoln with cousins Carlie and Anna at Moab Cousins down the line from top to bottom: Carlie, Isaac, Maddie, Suzy, Brandon, Anna, Blake, Lincoln, Avery (with) Anika in a chokehold. :) Picnic at Comb Ridge overlook Four Corners Petrified Sand Dunes Ike with buddy Ellie

belated b-day

Tsk tsk. . . I should at least post some pics of Lincoln's birthday! He turned two during our Colorado plateau trip in April. He greatly enjoyed cake in St. George (can you tell?)

(And we had more cake for me and Link at home) And I thought this was a funny pic I took of him on his actual birthday. We spent most of the day driving through the Navajo reservation, and he was such a good sport.

lincoln lark

Singing about himself (Ee ee) with monkeys (uh oh), giraffes (foe), and lions (nanny).

dad day

I asked Isaac the other day if the choice were between gifts from Dad or spending time with Dad, what would he choose? Without hesitation he answered, "Time with Dad."

A reminder that our presence means perhaps more than presents.

(Except that when I asked the same question about mom, Ike laughed and said, "presents." Dads, remember: you are a novelty to your kids!)

TenderTots

So our family has embarked on a new project.  Check it out!  If you live near us, we hope you will join us on our new adventure! 

crib-slat kisses

One of my favorite bedtime rituals with little Link is our crib-slat kisses: he reaches his puckered lips through each successive slat and plants smooches on me as we move along the length of the crib.  I also have my own ritual of checking on the boys right before I retire to smooth their blankets and whisper my love to them.  Last night I was surprised that the little bug was still awake--though droopy-eyed he smiled sweetly at me.  Neither of us made a sound, but for at least 10 minutes we simply gazed at each other through the crib slats, at times bending forward for a few well-placed kisses.  At last I sang to him about angels watching over his crib and whispered goodnight, uttering a prayer of thanks to God for my own little angels.

the new family pet: "dee"

For a long time now I have wanted a pet.  But for various reasons cats and dogs have been vetoed, despite begging and cajoling on my part.  So we finally settled on an alternative family pet: a squirrel!  This frisky little guy resides in our backyard tree and scurries around the yard.  Lincoln yelps, "Dee! Dee!" when he spots our furry friend, so we named his as such.  He is a bold little feller too--scampering up to the porch, even perching right outside the sliding glass door and peering in at us (perhaps because we have never tried scaring him off).  We've spotted Dee scrambling in and out of the compost, where he will clutch a grapefruit rind all the way to a flower pot--a sort of dinner table for him--and feast like a king.  Dee does appears chunkier than other squirrels around, so he obviously dines well on our leftovers.  Are we simply encouraging an unwanted rodent, you may well wonder?  It reminds me of something Brigham Young said about grasshoppers (remember the seagull story?): "Last season when the grasshoppers came on my crops, I said, ‘Nibble away, I may as well feed you as to have my neighbors do it; I have sown plenty, and you have not raised any yourselves.’ And when the harvest came you would not have known that there had been a grasshopper there.  . . Pay attention to what the Lord requires of you and let the balance go” (3:159:55).  And “according to present appearances, next year [1868] we may expect grasshoppers to eat up nearly all our crops.  But if we have provisions enough to last us another year, we can say to the grasshoppers—these creatures of God—you are welcome.  I have never had a feeling to drive them from one plant in my garden; but I look upon them as the armies of the Lord” (12:121:67). I guess a dog or cat can wait.

sprouts 'n such

It's probably just a phase, but I have been totally into growing my own sprouts and wheatgrass as of late.  I'll leave it to you to read up on the merits of these healthy little whole foods, but just a fun fact: alfalfa sprouts (pictured) have Vitamins A, B1, B3, B5, B6, B12, C, D, E, K, calcium, copper, potassium, magnesium, iron, selenium, zinc, protein, saponins (lowers cholesterol), plant sterols (builds up immune system), chlorophyll, and canavanine (amino acid that protects against cancers).  

Sprouts, goat cheese, walnuts, and avacado on a bed of spinach, tomatoes, cranberries and sunflower seeds.  Yum!   Kamut (Ka-moot) grass (an ancient Egyptian grain) sprouted like wheatgrass. Kamut all growed up.  Wheatgrass acts as a powerful detox to cleanse blood (among lots of other cool things).  

playing with little sis

My sister Michelle and her darling little daughter Avery came to visit us in March.  It was a blast!  Shell and I galavanted around town with the kids and stayed up late with much-needed girl talk.  Avery is so adorable and a little smarty pants!  She talks up a storm.  My favorite thing was her version of "share."  Of course kids at this age have a hard time sharing, so when they would go to take away a toy, we would tell them "share."  Avery would say "share" to Link, implying, "You give that toy to me" or "Don't you dare take this toy away."  It was hilarious!

Link and Avery--little friends--with matching leash/backpacks. We walked along the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver. The boys LOVE their cute cousin. We celebrated Shell's birthday and Aves blew out the candles (before we even sang!). {Poor Shell was such a good sport to partake of my "healthy" cooking--you can see here the semi-healthy carrot cake sans frosting.  Ah!  At least she didn't have to eat my wheatgrass or sprouts} Pals. . . despite all the "sharing"  We visited Hammond's candy factory and watched how candy is made and ate yummy candy but laughed out loud at the movie when they claimed their candy is made from "3 all-natural ingredients: pure water from the Rocky Mountains, sugar from the Colorado plains, and corn syrup."   At the Lookout Mountain Nature Center where the kiddies got to find out about animal homes and search for spiders under rocks. We went to the Denver Nature Science Museum and the kids loved the "stuffed" animals. Gotta love this shot Isaac took of Shell and me (we're in a psychedelic whirl!)

It was awesome having you here, Shell! We love visitors!  

best brothers

While on vacation, the boys were stoked to sleep in the same bed.  I thought maybe they were just snuggling when we put them down. . . 

but when I came back I found them like this.  :)  

florida

Jed was headed to Florida at the end of February for a conference, so the boys and tagged along and stayed with Jed's Aunt Eileen and family.  We had a blast!

Jungle Adventures Alligator park And me holding a baby alligator!  Pretty cool feeling. Here I am with a snake. . . And I conquered my biggest fear--a tarantula!   Imax theater at Kennedy Space Station Hiking in the gorgeous jungle/forests of Florida Kennedy Space Center Boys posing with Eileen, Stan, Molly and Doogie (the family dogs) Link with Aunt Eileen--his first time at the beach More hiking adventures Can you find the turtle in the picture? That bear backpack is practically attached to Lincoln. . . he never wants to part with it! Can you find the squirrel in the picture? Thanks Stan and Eileen for a wonderful time!